ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Long before U2 and Bono blazed their own paths , and decades before the Christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business , a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way .

Larry Norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song .

Larry Norman was a Christian rock musician before the genre existed , combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness .

Think of him as rock music 's street preacher , often referred to as `` the father of Christian rock . ''

`` Between 1969 and 1979 , Larry Norman was the Christian rock scene 's answer to Bob Dylan , John Lennon and Mick Jagger , '' said Emmy-nominated director David Di Sabatino , who takes a critical look at Norman 's career and life in his documentary `` Fallen Angel : The Outlaw Larry Norman . ''

`` He set the standard . He created the space for others to exist . ... The vision he created for where Christian rock music could go still resonates today . ''

The documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010 .

Norman hit the U.S. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation . His first solo album , `` Upon This Rock , '' came out in late 1969 , after he left the band People ! The San Francisco Bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a Top 20 hit with a cover of the Zombies ' `` I Love You . ''

It was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-Vietnam War protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at Woodstock .

As many Americans looked for answers , Norman offered his faith , a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut .

`` It was a pretty gutsy move to sing about Jesus on his first record , '' younger brother Charles Norman said . `` To take a chance on mentioning Jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step . ''

'' ` Upon This Rock ' was written to stand outside the Christian culture , '' Larry Norman said in an interview with CCM magazine . `` My songs were n't written for Christians . ... I was saying , ` I 'm going to present the Gospel , and I 'm not going to say it like you want . This album is not for you . ' ''

No small surprise , given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream .

A national survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates in 1966 found that rock 'n' roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country . About 45 percent of adults said they disliked it , with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite .

Compare that with today , when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent Pew Resource Center poll said they listen to it .

Being a rocker in the late 1960s was n't just flying in the face of a conservative Christian music industry but mainstream America as well .

Then there were the lyrics , especially on Norman 's second solo effort , 1972 's `` Only Visiting This Planet . '' There were no happy songs about going to heaven ; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day .

Norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex , venereal disease and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from Christian bookstores that might have sold it .

`` Stuff like that shocked uptight Christians , '' Charles Norman said in an NPR interview shortly after his brother 's death in February 2008 at age 60 . `` One of his songs , it 's called ` Why Do n't You Look Into Jesus , ' one of the lines is : ` You 've got gonorrhea on Valentine 's Day -LSB- VD -RSB- and you 're still looking for the perfect lay . ... Why do n't you look into Jesus ? He 's got the answer . ' ''

The album also contained what became Larry Norman 's signature song , `` Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music . ''

Nearly two decades after its release , `` Only Visiting This Planet , '' helmed by Beatles ' producer George Martin , was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre , voted by CCM magazine in 1990 as the greatest Christian album ever recorded .

A similar list released in 2001 by CCM , a Christian music and lifestyle magazine , put the album at No. 2 all time . U2 's `` The Joshua Tree '' was sixth .

Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame that same year , along with Elvis Presley .

The accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media . In 1971 , Billboard Magazine called Norman `` the most important writer since Paul Simon , '' while Time magazine pegged him as `` probably the top solo artist in the field . ''

Norman 's fans include U2 , Guns N ' Roses and Bob Dylan , according to his brother Charles . John Mellencamp said he 's one , too .

British pop star Cliff Richard made no secret of his admiration .

`` When I first became a Christian , I hunted around in vain to find Christian rock 'n' roll music I could relate to . It just all sounded horrible , '' Richard said on `` Rockspell , '' a Gospel-music-themed BBC television show he hosted in 1986 , and on which Norman appeared .

Then he was introduced to Norman 's music , `` and I just was overjoyed and thrilled , because suddenly I could relate ... and there seemed to be a Christian who could do it as well , if not better , than the rest of us . ''

Black Francis of the alternative rock group the Pixies said Norman has been a lifelong influence .

`` I listened to his records growing up , and saw him perform many times . In fact , I used to dress up like him ; long blond hair with bangs , sort of a grown-out British invasion look , with black jacket , black shirt , black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes , '' Francis said .

`` While Larry is always referenced by his Christian beliefs , to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous , poignant and always rock 'n' roll . His respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer . ''

More than 300 versions of Norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists , including non-Gospel acts as diverse as Richard and Francis , as well as Sammy Davis Jr. , Petula Clark and Tennessee Ernie Ford .

Christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since Norman pioneered Christian rock .

`` Before Larry Norman , there was not any Christian music industry , '' said Shawn McSpadden , manager for Switchfoot and the Grammy Award-winning band Third Day .

But today is a different story , according to figures from the Gospel Music Association . It says 56 million units of Christian/Gospel music sold in 2008 , totaling nearly $ 500 million .

`` The Christian music industry has been very business-savvy , probably without even realizing it , in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers , '' said Bruce Burch of the University of Georgia 's Music Business School . `` They immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist , but to their message . ''

Album sales for the genre , during 2008 , outsold classical , jazz , new age and Latin , according to Nielsen SoundScan .

Norman , a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith , blazed the trail for Christian rock .

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Larry Norman was Christian rock musician before genre existed

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His first solo album , `` Upon This Rock , '' came out in late 1969

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Norman 's fans include U2 , Guns N ' Roses and Bob Dylan

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More than 300 versions of Norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists